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Here are some questions, but don't limit your responses to just these.

1) What brands of pianos were your favorite to play?2) Was there any brand or model that caught you by surprise, either in a good or bad way?3) Did you notice any changes from last year?4) Did you attend any of the special events/marketing/training seminars, and did you take anything away from them?

The new 230 by Schimmel was a VERY interesting animal. It was a little uncharacteristic of the typical Schimmel sound/feel. It was a little lighter feeling, warmer in tone without sacrificing brightness. They certainly did something right there.

Petrof has got something going on with the Passat and the Storm. I never really took to that brand much as a player, but I was very impressed with these.

I didn't bother to sit and play the Yamaha grands, as they haven't changed any models, also due to having a store full of these and limited time. However, the new Cable Nelson baby grands (4'11" and 5'3") are really nice playing & sounding pianos.

2) I was pretty surprised by the continued increase in quality with the various Chinese pianos available. Hailun was, in my opinion, the most remarkable of the bunch. When I look at these, and ask myself 'would I buy this for my own use'?, I was surprised at my own answer.

Baldwin's weren't my cup of tea as an instrument, but they are doing some pretty cool cabinets; Particularly that heavy metal design.

The new bösendorfer 280 is something to behold. No words can describe my appreciation for the creation of such a wonderful piano.

3) This is more of a self serving question, because the last couple years I was at NAMM I was rushed and spent little time there. I noticed There were some absences, and booth changes.

Petrof no longer with Geneva (they had their own room). Steigerman was a no show. Couldn't find Steingraeber. There was a more consolidated showing of private label pianos (or so it seemed). I didn't find the Geneva booth (I didn't specifically look for it, but I walked through a very large portion of the show).

4) I did not attend any of these because I didn't budget any time for it.

I don't feel qualified to compare pianos because:1. I can't play that well2. I only have a digital piano at home, so any real piano sounds/feels good to me :-)

I did notice there weren't as many displays in the bigger 3rd floor room as last year, and there didn't seem to be as much traffic.

The manufacturers I spoke with all indicated they felt they were having a good show (Kawai, Bosendorfer, Mason & Hamlin / Piano Disc, Estonia, Grotrian, Schimmel).

On the flip side, the accessory vendors I spoke with indicated it was an off year.

I had a chat with Kyle Kirkland and Dana Messina of Steinway. Nice to know they like our forums (feel it helps the business by getting more people involved in music).

I used the opportunity to talk to Kyle about our experience with their factory tour, he promised we would have a better experience next time, and could bring more people.

Lloyd Meyer of Renner USA showed me the new web site they are working on. They've done a really nice job with it, clean and easy to use. Has some nice interactive displays, and lots of information.I believe he said it was going to launch in about a week.

Thanks to Pique' (of Grand Obsession fame) I had a nice long interview with Swati Pandey, a reporter for the LA Times.She also interviewed Pique', and came to our SoCA party at Steve Miller\'s house.

I tried to convince her she should play piano, she had the perfect fingers for it (long and slender).

I'm hoping she is going to write a nice positive article about our piano community, and the piano business in general. Hopefully will see article in next Sundays' LA Times.

At one point she asked about piano for people who don't really play. I mentioned Piano Disc (because we'd just walked by the display to get out to the sunny deck where we interviewed).

So... when we went back in we stopped at the Piano Disc display, and who should be playing in the big HD display? Our own Jeffrey Biegel...

Speaking of pictures, if you have some to share, I know our members would love to see what goes on inside the NAMM show. Please Upload them to our server, so they don't disappear later.

I didn't talk to the MI exhibitors, but they seem to have the usual sea of people crowding the aisles.

Thanks to the new PWPF polo shirts I wore during the show, a lot of people spotted me and came up to say hello. I always enjoy meeting members I've not met before, and running into members I've already met.

All in all I had a good show, making some new contacts for advertising on PW, playing with the toys, and just generally enjoying myself.

The weather was perfect (it was 12 degrees when I got back to CT late Sunday night), it was nice to be around real people (I usually work alone from a home-office), and the party Saturday night was the perfect way to end the week.

There were a lot of things I missed, simply because I didn't have the time (or in some cases energy).

I didn't play any Mason & Hamlins this year, however in the past I have always been impressed with their pianos.

Stephen, what did you think of that artcase Fazioli? Crazy! Looked like something Superman landed in when he came to earth. When I was at the Fazioli booth, Eldar Djangerov - I enjoyed listening to him play the 9'.

Being my first time, I really don't have a basis of comparison. I really enjoyed having an opportunity to view and lightly play a Faz. The art case was too way out for my taste but am sure would find a good home.

I posted a couple small clips of Bram Wignand performing stride on Youtube.

I thought the pianodisc display was really cool. Although I have a problem with player systems from a philosophic standpoint, another side me believes that anything that gets people involved in music is a very good thing.

Excellent experience overall. My teeth are still aching from all the piano candy!

_________________________
"The creative mind plays with the object it loves." -- Carl Jung

Being my first time, I really don't have a basis of comparison. I really enjoyed having an opportunity to view and lightly play a Faz. The art case was too way out for my taste but am sure would find a good home.

I posted a couple small clips of Bram Wignand performing stride on Youtube.

I thought the pianodisc display was really cool. Although I have a problem with player systems from a philosophic standpoint, another side me believes that anything that gets people involved in music is a very good thing.

Excellent experience overall. My teeth are still aching from all the piano candy! [/b]

Thanks for posting the clips.

I watched him playing while I was there, amazing!His technique is flawless, and he makes it look easy.

Norbert, I didn't notice the Grotrian, although they were right next to Sauter.

The Sauter 275 (9') was there and was the same one performed on at Carnegie Hall by Gil Sullivan. It was actually shuffled between the NAMM hall and the hotel for receptions at night.

It was prepped by Peter Clark and Gene Nelson. It was simply amazing to play and listen to. It is the one in the Youtube clip I posted. I agree with Frank, Bram made it look extremely easy (sorry I missed you). I think I finally understand what my piano teacher keeps saying about tension or more importantly, the lack thereof for great playing.

_________________________
"The creative mind plays with the object it loves." -- Carl Jung

norbert, unfortunately grotrian didn't have the charis there. i was very disappointed, as i've never played one. i think burkhard said it was sold and that is why it was missing.

my impressions of NAMM--a candy store, wonderful to hear so much piano music all at once. also overwhelmingly noisy at times. i spent most of my time on the third floor where the european pianos were--grotrian, sauter, estonia, fazioli, etc. it was a good space for them because it was quiet enough to hear yourself playing, most of the time.

Originally posted by ejsauter: Norbert, I didn't notice the Grotrian, although they were right next to Sauter.

The Sauter 275 (9') was there and was the same one performed on at Carnegie Hall by Gil Sullivan. It was actually shuffled between the NAMM hall and the hotel for receptions at night.

It was prepped by Peter Clark and Gene Nelson. It was simply amazing to play and listen to. It is the one in the Youtube clip I posted. I agree with Frank, Bram made it look extremely easy (sorry I missed you). I think I finally understand what my piano teacher keeps saying about tension or more importantly, the lack thereof for great playing. [/b]

I had a related problem, A while back I only[/b] had an acoustic. You know, that's the temperamental cousin from the old country that needs a lot of TLC from tuners, techs, and the like to avoid sore throats and a sour disposition..... the one that gets cranky at certain times of year when the seasons change.... The one that can sing with only one voice, and balks mightily at the notion of being recorded without its ambient noise and acoustic reflections and deflections included in the recording.... The one that refuses to be quiet enough to let others nearby be tuned to a different channel.

I was so bummed for so long. Friends, relatives, even casual acquaintances all tried to bring me out of my funk, but nothing worked until I got my digital.

I go to Kansas city,MO.every year for the ALS(Lou Geriug disease)walkathon and also support one of the best jazz scenes in the U.S. The Majestic(seen Braum many times)Jardines,Mutual Musicians Foundation (Jazz jam till dawn)American Jazz museum Jazz everywhere! Alot of talent in this town both young and old. No,I don't work for the chamber of commerce and their "Barbque is incredible. Hows that for an off-topic post.

Pretty quiet on the piano front compared to the first floor (MI products)It's always a treat to play the various piano manufacture's best of the best. Rather than critique what I consideredas hum drum I'll tell you what I considered impressionable for either value or sound. Grotrian,Sauter,Hailun,Heintzman. I thought that Charles Walter's hand rubbed satin finishes were a nice change from everyone elses polyester specimens. Bosendorfer's exotic veneer work was exceptional.I'm glad to see many of the traditional manufactures are getting more radical with their soundboard,harp,case fabrications. We were doing red,black,silver soundboards and plates years ago on custom rebuilds. On the whole a pretty mellow show.

TurandotNope not me! I didn't even make it to see Steingraber with the new LX player system. I've already heard the protoype and even sold a few already(player systems that is). They were at the Courtyard hotel by John Wayne airport.Inconvienient! Many are setting a trend like Steinway not choosing to be a part of the Namm show. I guess exposure is not important to them. Big mistake in my opinion.Most didn't even know they were at the show but not at the show. Oh yeah, you were asking about GIC, sorry got carried away.No idea !